The field of the disclosure relates generally to the service life of wiring insulation, and more specifically, to methods and systems for using infrared spectroscopy to quantify degradation of wiring insulation.
In service equipment may experience degradation in wiring systems that can lead to equipment failures, shorts, arcing, fires, and other operational and safety problems. One area where this degradation may occur is the various insulation and insulative coatings associated with the wiring systems. Of course, in many instances of in-service equipment, such equipment is exposed to extreme conditions (temperature, humidity, etc.) which may shorten the service life of the wiring systems associated with such equipment. Measurement of the condition of the wire insulation can verify whether or not replacement of the particular wire or wiring system is needed.
However, there are no known non-destructive inspection tests for the evaluation of wire insulation. Wire insulation testing devices do exist for directly measuring the resistance of wiring insulation, but these testing devices, including mega-ohm meters can be destructive to the wires being tested and generally involve the disassembly and repair of the wiring system being tested.
As such, some of the disadvantages and limitations of the existing wire insulation testing solutions include disruptive system disassembly, costly destructive testing and laboratory analysis, potentially premature wiring replacement, and an inability to predict remaining life of the wiring system and the insulation associated therewith. Thermal, oxidative (or “chemical”), and ultraviolet damage measurement of materials using infrared spectroscopy systems deployed within portable tools is known.